15. Will
15
WILL
An hour later, we finish the tour with drive-bys past the homeless shelter, City Hall, and the only two-story office building in town. There was also Bits the glaciers, Denali, the parks, and especially all the wildlife. Where else could you see a Moose cow give birth? It was magical. This place is out of this world."
"There's a lot of things you'd see in Chicago, but that ain't one of them," I reply.
"Exactly!" She looks up to where the sun has slipped behind Cooper's Ridge, the sky turning stunning shades of pink and orange. "Bet it's nothin' like what you've done though. Places you've been and the things you've seen…"
"Hey."
I reach over and rub my hand over her knee, trying not to react to the instant feeling of rightness that moves through me. Not for the first time, I wonder if this is a me and her thing, or a mountain air thing, or something different altogether. Whatever it is, it's hard to ignore. I can't help but think there's something special brewing between us. It's more than that though… I want there to be.
"Everyone's lives are different. Their experiences and perspectives will not always be the same. We could look at that sunset and I could see neon yellow whereas you only see pink. But at the end of the day, it doesn't make it any less beautiful, does it?"
Her eyes grow hooded and damn that's a good look on her. "Yeah. You're right. It's just–"
"I bet there are a lot of things you've seen and done that I could only ever dream of. I happen to like that we're different but also similar."
"Oh yeah?" she says, brows arched high, her gaze dancing with interest. "Like what?"
"I've never held down three jobs and two volunteer gigs and still do it with a smile on my face."
She shrugs, a tinge of red touching her cheeks as she looks down at where my hand is still on her leg. For a moment I worry if she doesn't like it, but when she covers it with hers, it's all the confirmation I need. "Lots of people do that. Help, I mean."
"They do," I say, loving the silent challenge she's issued. "But a lot of people with far less spare time than you have don't lift a finger, which makes kind-hearted, givin' people like you all the more special."
She bites her lip and mulls that over. "I guess you're right. I just do it because I like helpin' people. Maybe it's selfish of me, but it makes me feel like I'm doin ' somethin' important. You know?"
"It makes you amazin', honey. Selfless. With a heart so big that it can't be ignored. You're a good person. It wows me, honestly," I say, looking her dead in the eye so that she knows I'm telling the truth.
"What about you then?" she says, grinning curiously. She takes a sip from her soda can before shifting closer.
It's taking every ounce of self-control I have not to pull her into my arms. There's a driving need inside of me to touch her, to have just some contact with her. This damn mountain air keeps making my skin go clammy and my pulse spike for no reason at all. I'm putting it down to the altitude but damned if I can get it to stop. It starts right about the time I first met Birdie in town.
"What about me?" I ask, watching her closely.
"You know all these things about me yet there are still a lot of 'first date' things I haven't found out about you. Not sure if you've noticed, but I tend to ramble sometimes," she replies. I'm not sure if she's aware of it, but she's slowly inching closer to me and now we're just a foot apart. "So, this is me askin' about you ."
"First, you haven't been talkin' too much. Besides, I happen to like hearin' you tell me about yourself," I turn my hand over, relaxing the moment she tangles her fingers with mine.
"OK," she whispers.
"And second , you can ask me anythin' you like."
She waggles her brows mischievously. "Anythin'? Now you've given me somethin' to think about," she teases.
"First date questions, remember?" I smirk, loving the way she pouts and bats her lashes at me.
"Talk about spoilin' my fun," she mutters but she does it with a cheeky grin. "OK. First date questions. I'll ask one then you can ask one. Sound like a deal?"
"Yep. Hit me with your best shot."
"Hmm," she says, rubbing her chin. "Let's start easy. What's your full name?"
"William John Ridley Cooper."
She twists her mouth, clicking her tongue as if thinking hard. "Hmm, not too bad, I suppose."
"Cheeky much. OK. What's yours?"
"Birdie-Lee Walker."
"Pretty name for a pretty girl. I like it," I reply, earning a beaming smile as a reward.
"Age?"
"Thirty-five," I cough under my breath, earning a snicker for my troubles. "You?"
"Thirty." She snickers. "Do you mind that you're robbin' the cradle by five years?"
I counter straight back. "Do you mind that I'm goin' to be old and gray before you are?"
She stutters, and I realize I've caught her by surprise with that one.
Her voice drops to a warm whisper. "No–Not at all," she says. "I happen to think silver foxes are sexy."
Right now, I'm thinking the same thing about thirty-year-old bartender/waitress/secretaries…
She dives right into the next question. "Birthday?"
"March 31st. When's yours?"
"Oh, an Aries. Isn't that interestin'." I can't stop my responding frown. Is she one of those people who dictate their lives by the horoscopes?
"Gosh! The look on your face. I promise you, Will. The only reason I know that you're an Aries is because my birthday is March 20th and I'm on the cusp between Pisces and Aries."
" Thank goodness . Otherwise, I might've called this date a bust and we were doin' so well."
The shocked look on her face when I say that has me biting back a laugh.
"Will Cooper. I cannot believe you said that," she says with a half gasp, half giggle.
I shrug. "I said I'd be honest, didn't I?"
Her eyes shine with approval. "You certainly did. OK, movin' on. Favorite color?"
"I'm a fan of bright blue at the moment, like the way your eyes are when they shine in the light," I say, being honest.
A blush covers her cheeks. "Smooth talker," she says, narrowing her eyes playfully. "Mine's not nearly as romantic. It's a bit of yellow and orange, but warm, not cold."
A complicated answer for a multi-dimensional woman. I mull over her words. "Like the final tint in the sky when the sun touches the horizon."
Her eyes widen. "Yes, just like that! How did you know that?"
I shrug. "It's nice, and it suits you. Bright, warm, comforting," I add.
"Hmm," she says, her eyes studying me. "OK. Now this one isn't a first date question, more just somethin' I'm curious about."
"OK, honey. Hit me with your best shot," I say, nodding her way.
"Did you ever see you and your brothers comin' back to Timber Falls to live on the ranch?" I can tell this is more than curiosity because she seems almost nervous to ask.
"Honestly, no," I say. "But we're all here now because Gramps wanted us here, we just haven't worked out why yet. All we know is what John—his lawyer—has told us, the property will be transferred into our names after we've been livin' here for two years."
Birdie's mouth drops open, not hiding her reaction to the news, and I don't blame her. We all had the same reaction when we found out too. "No way!"
"Yep."
"And none of you know why? He didn't leave a note or anythin'?" Maybe instructions sayin' what to do?"
I grin. "Nope. Nothin'. Believe me, we've all been tryin' to work it out for months now."
She sits back, bracing herself against one of her arms while continuing to hold my hand. Staring off over the town and Cooper's Ridge behind it, she seems to mull it over for a moment. "That makes things all the more interestin' now, doesn't it."
"It keeps us on our toes, for sure." I take another swig of my drink, loving the tranquility and peace that comes from just sitting here together, watching the sunset over the back of the mountain range, and doing something as simple as sitting in the back of my truck, holding hands.
"Do you—" She cuts herself off, jerking her head. "Actually, no. Don't worry about that."
"Go on," I urge. "Don't start holdin' back on me now."
She stares straight at me. "Do you think you'll stay longer?" Her voice is soft and careful. It makes me want to pull her into my arms and reassure her.
"There's a part of me that thinks Gramps knew I needed a change. That comin' here was just what I needed… what we all needed," I say, swallowing down a growing tightness in my chest.
I know that if I tell Birdie the truth about my life in Chicago, she won't judge me. I'm startin' to think she never would. "I wasn't happy before comin' here. Don't think I'd been happy for a good long while."
She shuffles forward again so that our legs are touching, hers folded underneath her on the truck bed. "Do you know why?"
I nod. "I was doin' too much, workin' all hours, givin' everythin' I had to a business that wasn't all mine to reap the rewards from." She strokes my thigh encouragingly, silently supporting me. "It got to the stage where I was workin' myself sick. My blood pressure was through the roof, I wasn't sleepin', and it was like I was circlin' the drain and headin' straight for burnout without realizin'. When I—" I clear my throat, not expecting my eyes to sting. I'm feeling vulnerable and exposed right now, but I feel safe enough to show Birdie this side of me. Something I've never felt with anyone other than my family. Doesn't that say something …
"When I got the call about Gramps, it was the wake-up call I needed. Somethin' had to give, and then when we went to hear the readin' of the Will, and John told us the ranch was ours, it was almost like the decision had been made for me."
"You were relieved," she murmurs.
"God yes," I sigh. "It gave me a chance to hop off the never-endin' merry-go-round that was my life so I could see what I was doin' to myself."
She falls quiet for a spell. "Do you think Ridley somehow knew?"
That brings a smile to my lips. "Gramps always knew more than he let on. He was one of the wisest men I'll ever have the privilege of knowin'."
"I'm real glad you shared that with me, Will. It's given me a piece of you I never expected to get but feel honored to have all the same. Just know I'm here if you ever need to talk, even if it's just to be a soundin' board. I'm not just an excellent tour guide, I'm a good listener too—or so I've been told."
"Somethin' I've learned about you, honey, you're good at everythin' you do," I say. She wets her lips and I can't stop my eyes from droppin' to her mouth to watch her do it.
"That's kind of you to say," she whispers. It's as if something between us changes, the connection that's been pulling us together from the first time I laid eyes on her changing into a very real, tangible thing. Something I want to protect and nurture.
Suddenly I stop fighting against myself and trying to hold back. What happens next seems almost inevitable.
As if she's having the same thoughts as I am, we lean in close, the crisp night air doing nothing to touch the growing heat crackling between us. I slide a hand around the back of her neck, caressing the soft skin with my thumb before dipping my head to brush my lips ever so gently against hers.
The moment we kiss, the world stops spinning, my mind clears, and everything I thought I knew about myself shifts existentially. We could be the only two people on earth and I would. not. care right now.
It's just us. Touching, tasting, losing ourselves in this first kiss to end all first kisses. This is something else. Something indescribable. Somethin' bigger than the two of us.
She moans into my mouth as my tongue slides against hers. I groan when her arms wrap around my shoulders and grip me tight, holding on to me like I'm an anchor as she melts against me, letting me worship her the way I've been wanting to for days now.
When we finally come up for air, we sit there, our lips still close to one another. Her pupils are blown, her skin hot to touch, our breaths ragged as we lose ourselves in each other's eyes. Damn, I already want to do that all over again.
"Been wantin' to do that since I picked you up," I murmur against her lips, desperate for another taste, knowing I'm addicted to her–to this feeling.
This is all new to me. I've never felt this desperate, gnawing need to be with someone like this. It's distracting in the best possible way. Everything I've been feeling for Birdie seems intensified now. I want more, I want it all. And I want it with her.
The way she lights me up. How my soul feels magnetized. The feeling of being drawn to her whenever we're near, like we're two parts of the same whole. It has to mean something, right?
And as she cups my jaw and pulls me in for another slow, soft, and long kiss, I can't help but wonder if this could be my future… my destiny.
Not just Birdie, but Timber Falls too. The ranch. My brothers. Our land. Our mountain. Our legacy.
All of it.
Maybe two years here will not be nearly long enough. Then again, I'm thinking forever might not be long enough with Birdie.
You'd think that would scare me, but it doesn't. Far from it. What I've got to work out now is how to tell her that.